Churin is a beautiful, little town located in the middle of Perú’s scenic mountains. It is famous for its “baños terminals” or “hot springs,” white water rafting, and scenic hikes through the mountains, and a popular location for Peruvians and foreigners alike to visit. My host sister, Claudia, our friend, Lizzeth, and I traveled to Churin this last weekend. There were many excited travelers like us because it was Semana Santa, or Holy Weekend, during which Peruvians everywhere had time off of work to recognize the holiday.
Before leaving for the trip, I was nervous- anxious to travel with Claudia and one of her friends. The only other time this semester that I had gone somewhere without an English speaker was when I traveled to Chimbote with my family, and that weekend had been very overwhelming for me. I tried to not let my worries get to me, considering that I have been here now for a few months instead of just a few weeks, and I convinced myself that my Spanish had improved enough to the point that I could easily converse with Claudia and Lizzeth. I was also worried that I would not fit in with these two girls who had been friends for much longer than I had known Claudia. Sure, Claudia and I get along well when we spend time together, watching movies and shopping, but I had no idea what to expect with another person tagging along on our sister outing.
When Thursday finally came around, and Claudia and I left the house to catch the bus, my nerves kicked in. I was tired, I was not ready to meet a new friend, and I did not want to have to think in order to converse. We met Lizzeth at the bus station, loaded the bus, and prepared to leave. Lizzeth, being the kind person that she is, tried to strike up conversation with me. We chatted for a while about my feelings towards Perú, what my favorite Peruvian dishes are, etcetera, but I ended the conversation sooner than later by proclaiming that I was still tired from waking up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus, and that I wanted to listen to music and sleep. Lizzeth was very accommodating, and let me enjoy the rest of the bus ride, just my music and me. As I was listening to my music and dozing, my fear of not being able to communicate with my company engulfed me. I was sure this was going to be the longest four days of my life.
Shortly after we arrived in Churin, we went to our first baño termal. The building that housed the different hot springs smelled like body odor and dirty water, which was not a surprise considering that it was very crowded, and the water was incredibly dirty. However, the girls and I enjoyed out time in the water, and decided to get facials and massages after spending some time in the pools. The facials consisted of a woman covering our faces with a mud-like mixture, us washing the dried mud off, and the woman slapping lotion onto our faces and telling us that we would love our new, soft skin. The massages were equally as strange, with the “masseuse” doing no technique other than roughly driving his knuckles into my back. We left the massages and hot springs behind with sore backs and soft faces, but I also left with a renewed confidence in my ability to communicate with my friends.
The second and third days were filled with even more dirty pools and more conversation in Spanish. I became very frustrated, at times, during the second and third days, because no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not always get my point across. Claudia and Lizzeth were both incredibly patient with me, and they both helped me where they could, but there was always the occasional thought that I could not describe well enough for them to even be able to help me say what I was trying to say. These moments were very frustrating, and they will continue to be. After all, I came to Perú to learn how to converse in Spanish, and it seems like for every time I converse well, I also have days where I cannot converse at all. Learning a new language is challenging, and nothing is more frustrating than not always being able to express myself completely, but it is also incredibly rewarding knowing that as long as I keep working at it, I could actually be a bilingual person some day.
I could have gone my whole life without sitting in the dirty, hot waters of Churin, Perú, but I would never take a do over on this weekend because I had the opportunity to spend it with two incredible friends. Claudia and Lizzeth will never know how much they truly benefitted me by inviting me to travel with them. Together the three of us formed a bond, sometimes through actually talking, and other times just by giggling and taking selfies like a bunch of middle school girls. This weekend I was once again reminded, as I have been by many of my Peruvian friends and family throughout this semester, that language is only a small roadblock on the way to creating life-lasting bonds. Sometimes all you need is a good attitude and some hot, dirty water to make the friendship juices flow.
Before leaving for the trip, I was nervous- anxious to travel with Claudia and one of her friends. The only other time this semester that I had gone somewhere without an English speaker was when I traveled to Chimbote with my family, and that weekend had been very overwhelming for me. I tried to not let my worries get to me, considering that I have been here now for a few months instead of just a few weeks, and I convinced myself that my Spanish had improved enough to the point that I could easily converse with Claudia and Lizzeth. I was also worried that I would not fit in with these two girls who had been friends for much longer than I had known Claudia. Sure, Claudia and I get along well when we spend time together, watching movies and shopping, but I had no idea what to expect with another person tagging along on our sister outing.
When Thursday finally came around, and Claudia and I left the house to catch the bus, my nerves kicked in. I was tired, I was not ready to meet a new friend, and I did not want to have to think in order to converse. We met Lizzeth at the bus station, loaded the bus, and prepared to leave. Lizzeth, being the kind person that she is, tried to strike up conversation with me. We chatted for a while about my feelings towards Perú, what my favorite Peruvian dishes are, etcetera, but I ended the conversation sooner than later by proclaiming that I was still tired from waking up at 5 a.m. to catch the bus, and that I wanted to listen to music and sleep. Lizzeth was very accommodating, and let me enjoy the rest of the bus ride, just my music and me. As I was listening to my music and dozing, my fear of not being able to communicate with my company engulfed me. I was sure this was going to be the longest four days of my life.
Shortly after we arrived in Churin, we went to our first baño termal. The building that housed the different hot springs smelled like body odor and dirty water, which was not a surprise considering that it was very crowded, and the water was incredibly dirty. However, the girls and I enjoyed out time in the water, and decided to get facials and massages after spending some time in the pools. The facials consisted of a woman covering our faces with a mud-like mixture, us washing the dried mud off, and the woman slapping lotion onto our faces and telling us that we would love our new, soft skin. The massages were equally as strange, with the “masseuse” doing no technique other than roughly driving his knuckles into my back. We left the massages and hot springs behind with sore backs and soft faces, but I also left with a renewed confidence in my ability to communicate with my friends.
The second and third days were filled with even more dirty pools and more conversation in Spanish. I became very frustrated, at times, during the second and third days, because no matter how hard I tried, I simply could not always get my point across. Claudia and Lizzeth were both incredibly patient with me, and they both helped me where they could, but there was always the occasional thought that I could not describe well enough for them to even be able to help me say what I was trying to say. These moments were very frustrating, and they will continue to be. After all, I came to Perú to learn how to converse in Spanish, and it seems like for every time I converse well, I also have days where I cannot converse at all. Learning a new language is challenging, and nothing is more frustrating than not always being able to express myself completely, but it is also incredibly rewarding knowing that as long as I keep working at it, I could actually be a bilingual person some day.
I could have gone my whole life without sitting in the dirty, hot waters of Churin, Perú, but I would never take a do over on this weekend because I had the opportunity to spend it with two incredible friends. Claudia and Lizzeth will never know how much they truly benefitted me by inviting me to travel with them. Together the three of us formed a bond, sometimes through actually talking, and other times just by giggling and taking selfies like a bunch of middle school girls. This weekend I was once again reminded, as I have been by many of my Peruvian friends and family throughout this semester, that language is only a small roadblock on the way to creating life-lasting bonds. Sometimes all you need is a good attitude and some hot, dirty water to make the friendship juices flow.